Shock-absorbing mechanism



- 1631,,147 June 7, 1927. J- F' OCONNOR snocx ABSORBING MECHANISM Filed May 5, 1924 Z'Sheets-Sheet l l I. Zf/gia mirzeajea' v Irwarzr June 7,1927. 1,631,147

' J. F. OCONNOR SHOCK ABSORBING MECHANISM Filed May 5. 1924 Y z Sheets-Sheet 2 49 15/4 44 ZZZ; ffl-yg x Q Q 77 4 g a 5 2 lfi f A ed in operative position by a detachablev saddle plate 17- secured to the draft sills f 4 1 Y seated between the end portions of the flanges 24,0151 the adjacentsp'acer or corre- 1 Patented June 7, 1927.

UNITED STATES v 1,631,147 PATIENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. OCONNOR, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro

w. H. MINER, 11m, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

SHOCK- ABSORBING MECHANISM.

Application filed May 5,

This invention relates to improvements in shock absorbing mechanisms.

The object of this invention is toprovide in a shock absorbing mechanism especially adapted for railway. draft riggings, a high capacity spring resistance. 1 Y

A more specific object of this invention is to provide in a shock absorbing mechanism, an improved spring resistance composed of a plurality of groups or gangs of plate springs separated by rigid or inflexible spacing members so arranged as to utilize the maximum amount of space available for said spring resistance.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a device of the kind described, aplurality of spring members and spacing members so arranged that they will be self-centered and will nottend to shift out of alinement.

Other objects and advantages of the invent-ion will more clearly, appear from the description and claims hereinafter followmg.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional View of a portion of a railway draft rigging,- showingv myimprovements in connection therewith.

is a perspective view of one of the spacing members.

In said drawings, 10-1O denote channel draft .sillsofa railway car underframe, the

same having: front stop lugs 11-11 and a rear stop lugs 12'-12sec.nred to theinner; faces thereof in any suitable manner. A.

portion of the drawbar is indicated" at 13, the same being operatively associated with posed within theyoke as is also the front and rear followers 15 and '16, respectively. The yoke and partstherewithin are supportas'shown. V I p j a The spring resistance interposed between the front and rear followers is made up of a plurality of groups or angs-of springs 18 as shown, these gang's eing spaced apart by the spacing members 19, and the end Figure 2 is. a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. And Figure 3 e 1924. Serial No. 711,027.

gangs being spaced from the front and rear followers by a front spacer20 and a rear spacer 21, respectively. Each gang or group of springs ismade up of a plurality of laminations or plates of spring material such as spring steel, each spring plate being bent intosubstantially the shapeof a V,-the sides .of. the V being flat, and the angle between the sides of the ,V being approximately 120 in the embodiment shown.

The intermediate spacing members 19 are also generally V-shaped in horizontal cross-section, the'front and rear faces 22 and 23, respectively, being convexly and concavely curved transversely to the longitudinal axis of the gear. The spacing members are made of malleable iron or other suitable material so as to be rigid or inflexible. It will be noted that each of the sides of the V of the spacing members are drawn along arcs whose centers are to either side of the center line of the draft gear, the ends of the spacing members being of lesser thickness than at. their centers. The front and rear s acer members 20 and 21, respectively, aresimilar to the faces of the intermediate.

spacers;

The intermediate spacers 19 arepreferably provided with top and bottom,horizontally extending flanges of rectangular outline and corresponding in length to the length of the mainfollowers andYoverall width of the gangs of spring plates. The flanges 24 are so positioned with respect to the approximately, V-shaped spacer-functioning main section of the spacer that the apex of said main section will project beyond the rectangular flanges at the'centers on one side, and the ends of said V-shaped main sections will project beyond said rectangular .main

section on "the other side. With thisconstruction, it is evident that the apex of one gang of plate springs will be confined be- ;tween the flanges 24 of one spacer, and the ends jof said gang of plate-springs will be sponding flanges of the followers, aswill be i elative to the spacers.

Each gang of springs is seated between the rear face of one spacer and the front face of the adjacent spacer, the projecting front and rear tips of the V-shaped wall of the spacers fitting into one another. Each group of springs has its front lamination or plate engaged at its center and ends by the rear surface of one spacer and has its rear plate engaged intermediate the ends of each of the sides of the V by the front surface of the adjacent spacing member.

When the compression stroke occurs, and the front and rearfollowers are moved relatively toward one another, it is evident that the gangs of spring plates will be flexed between the spacing members, each group of spring plates being flexed along a pair of lines intermediate the ends of each side of the V, these lines being offset to either side of the center line of the springs, the latter tending to assume the curvature of the spacing members. The front and rear edges of the side walls 24 of the spacing members act as stops to positively limit the compression of the gear when the adjacent side walls 24; of the respective spacing members engage one another.

As will be evident from the preceding description considered in connection with the drawings, by forming the gangs of, plate springs of substantially V-shape and making the opposed faces of the followers and spacers with approximately similar complemental formations so as to produce, in effect, a nested arrangement of the gangs of springs with the followers and spacers, lateral shifting of the gangs of plate springs relative to the followers and spacers is effectively prevented, thus eliminating the necessity for bolts, which would require openings in the plates and weaken the same. The prevention of the transverse'shifting, of the plate springs is of importance, inasmuch as it prevents the edges of the plates from gouging or wearing against any adjacent member, the draft sills in the particular embodiment shown in the drawings. This feature, I be how to be entirely new and intend to claim 7 the same broadly. In a compression stroke, it is evident also, that the ends'of the plates will move relatively away from the sills and by making the length of the spacers equal to or slightly in excess of the over-all width of the gangs of springs, gouging or scoring of the sills is positively prevented.

' I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention but, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto,

I claim:

1. In shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with pressure-transmitting means; of a plurality of group's'of flexible plat-e springs of V-shape coacting therewith; and a plurality of substantially V-shaped spacing members intermediate the adjacent groups of springs, said springs and spacers being constructed so that the springs will be flexed along a plurality of lines spaced transversely of the longitudinal axis of the mechanism.

2. In a shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with pressure-transmitting means; of a spring resistance coacting therewith; and spacing members between portions of said spring resistance, one of the faces of each of said spacing members engaging the adjacent spring surface at the center and ends of the latter, and the other face of said spacingmember engaging the adjacent spring surface between the ends of the latter, the portions of said spring resistance and said spacing members having the centers thereof off-set in a common di- 7 rection with reference to the free extremities, and having adjacent surfaces converging from said extremities toward the centers.

3. In a shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with pressure-transmitting means; of groups of plate springs coacting therewith; and spacing members intermediate the adjacent groups of springs, each of said groups of springs being engaged on one side at its centers and ends 'by one spacing member and engaged on its other side intermediate the ends by another spacing member, said groups of plate springs and said spacing members being centrally off-set wit-h reference to the free extremities thereof in a common direction, and the engaging portionsthereof arranged at the centers and between the extremities and said centers.

4. In a shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with pressure-transmitting means; of groups of V-shaped laminated springs coacting therewith; and spacing the combination with pressure-transmittingmeans; of groups of flat plate V-shaped springs coacting therewith? and rigid spacing members intermediate the adjacent groups of springs, each of said spacing members having off-set engaging surfaces whereby each of said groups of springs is engaged at its center and ends by one spacing member and engaged intermediate the ends by another-spacing member. 7 r

6. In a shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with pressure-transmitting -means; of a plurality of groups of flexible plate springs of V-shapecoacting therewith;

and inflexible, substantially V-shaped spacing members intermediate the adjacent groups of springs,the sides of said springs being-flat, and the sides of said spacing members being curved, whereby said groups of springs will be engaged on one'side at its center and ends by the curved surface of one spacing member, and engaged on the other side only at points intermediate the ends of the sides of the V, so that the springs will be flexed along two lines, to conform with the curvature of said spacing members when the latter members are actuated relatively toward one another.

7. In a shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with pressure-transmitting means; of groups of plate springs coacting therewith and bent to be substantially shaped in cross section transversely of the longitudinal axis of said mechanism; and spacing members intermediate the adjacent groups of springs, the opposite faces of each spacing member being concavely and convexly curved, respectively, each of said groups of springs being engaged at its cen-- ter and ends by the concave surface of one spacing member and engaged intermediate the ends by the convex surface of'the adjacent spacing member.

8. In a shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with pressure-transmitti11g means; of a plurality of groups of V-shaped plate springs intermediate the ends of said mechanism; and a plurality of spacing members between the adjacent groups of springs, said spacing members having slidably interengaging portions to prevent them from get- 1 their extremities in a common direction and the adjacent faces of which are inclined from said extremities towardsaid centers preventing relative lateral movement between said gang of plate springs and said members at all times,said formations being arranged to provide opposed ofi'set bearing points therebetween.

10. In a shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with two end members and a plurality of spacer me bers disposed between said end members" nd all relatively 1 movable toward and from each other; of a gang of plate springs interposed between each adjacent pair of said members, the opposed sets of faces of said members and each gang of plate springs, considered as a unit,

having integrally formed, co-operating nesting formations preventing relative lateral movement between the gangs of plate springs and said members during a compression stroke of the mechanism.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 1st day of May 1924.

JOHN F. O CONNOR. 

